Note 8 Finally Unveiled!

Samsung officially unveiled the Galaxy Note 8 today and it is beautiful. They took a big risk by continuing this brand and it looks as though it may pay off. It has a similar look and style to the Galaxy 8 plus which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. However, the screen is 6.3 rather than 6.2 but is much more squared off than that model to allow for more room to take notes. Speaking of notes, the phone will allow you to take up to 100 pages of notes while the device is still locked which is super useful in a pinch and one of my favorite features. The device is also invoking the most useful split screen features to date, including the ability to launch to apps simultaneously. This guy is really living up to its namesake.

Let’s talk specs. The camera is now a dual 12mp on the rear and 8mp on the front. Sick! One of the huge draws of the camera is not only the ability to add motion blur before and after the photo is taken, but to actually control how much blur you want unlike other devices that would essentially process this for you. The dual lense allows for wider shots and 2x optical zoom which is par for the course from a dual shooter, but Samsung is known to have one of the best cameras available and it appears they have no plans in souring their reputation when it comes to this.

Processing wise, we are working with Snapdragon’s latest 835 which you may recall was recently included in the Moto Z2 force. However Samsung has jammed 6GB of Ram into this bad boy, rather than the 4GB Lenovo went with. This thing should be able to handle anything you throw at it. Samsung did steal a play out of Lenovo’s book by upping the SD capacity to up to 2TB which is a smart move. On board, you will find 64GB of storage in the US variety whole overseas they get 128 or 256. With the SD option it’s not a deal breaker though.

Battery, this is a very touchy subject for the Note. They wisely went with a 3300mAh which is smaller than the Galaxy 8 plus, but still bigger than the Note 7. This was a very smart decision on Samsung’s part and I’m glad they did not take the gamble. This size battery should be enough to get most users a day or two, especially considering the way octacore processors prioritize task to reduce battery life.

The device is, once again, ip68 water and dust resistant. However, as always, I do not recommend submerging the device, but who am I to tell you how to live your life?

All told, this device looks absolutely amazing and Samsung is sure to redeem themselves with this iteration of the Note. Pre-orders go live tomorrow for all four major US carriers, but it will not be cheap. The device will range from $930-960 depending on your carrier of choice and be available in either black or grey, gold and blue are only available in other countries, unfortunately. The device will be released on September 15th.